Fast fashion – the truth behind your $5 crop top

March 28, 2020

what is it?

The term “fast fashion” has become something of a buzzword (or, I guess, buzz-phrase) in the past few years. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as “inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends”, and Merriam Webster says it’s “an approach to the design, creation, and marketing of clothing fashions that emphasizes making fashion trends quickly and cheaply available to consumers”. But what do these sentences mean, and how do they affect how we live?

As suggested by Oxford’s definition, fast fashion is generally produced quickly and sold at a low price point. The term mass market retailers refers to stores like Walmart and Target, whose audiences are vast, have varied interests, and are usually middle-class. Because of the interests of these buyers, fast fashion brands make inexpensive clothes that are designed to last only a few months.

As advantageous as it may seem for consumers to have access to widely available affordable clothing, the industry of fast fashion has caused an unexpectedly large array of problems. In addition to creating pollution and unnecessarily filling landfills, the fast fashion industry is responsible for countless human rights violations. Among these are sweatshop labour and illegal underpayment, verbal and sexual harassment, and other appalling labour rights violations. Beneath the alluring, carefully constructed advertising of fast fashion brands is an underworld of abhorrent working conditions.

which brands promote fast fashion?

To name a few–Zara, Forever 21, H&M, Uniqlo, Topshop, Rip Curl, Victoria’s Secret, Urban Outfitters, Guess, GAP, and Fashion Nova.

why is this happening?

Over time, the traits consumers look for in fashion have shifted from quality and material longevity to appearance and low costs. Speculations on exactly why this occurred have largely been concerned with social media and its effect on the perceived importance of clothing’s appearance, but regardless of the driving factors of this shift in mentality. Others credit the general shortening of populations’ attention spans (click here for a surprising infographic). Whatever the driving factors, clothing brands have been quick to cater to this change–whatever the societal and environmental consequences.

how is this happening?

It is in most fast fashion brands’ business models to advertise clothes-shopping as a recreational activity–a norm perpetuated by popular culture and brand-sponsored media. If people shop for fun to excess, clothing brands make more money. Fast fashion brands also heavily rely on online advertising to publicize their products, and tend to invest a lot of their money in ads on social media platforms, one of the reasons for this being that these platforms employ personalized advertising to fast fashion brands’ target demographic–teens and young adults.

...and how You Can Help Change This

The fast fashion situation is a complex and serious issue, with facets in areas ranging from labour rights to social media. This means that there are a variety of things you can do to help:

• Visit the International Labour Organization’s website

• Fast fashion brands’ aim is to convince you to buy low-quality, negatively impactful clothing. Be aware of this when you come across an ad

• Donate to the Worker Rights Consortium

• Go to thrift stores to buy affordable clothing you can feel good about

• Check the quality of garments before you buy them. Higher-quality clothing will last longer and limit your negative impact on the environment and human rights

• Look at this list of sustainable fashion brands, sorted by price range